Home Report Stirling

The city of Stirling, once the capital of Scotland, is visually dominated by the striking Stirling Castle, one of the historical principal royal strongholds of the Kingdom of Scotland. Stirling enjoys a unique strategic position on the border between the Lowlands and Highlands of Scotland. Indeed, about half of the country’s population live within an hour’s travel time of Stirling. The starkness of this contrast between Lowland and Highland is evidenced by the many hills and mountains of the lower Highlands such as Ben Vorlich and Ben Ledi which can be seen to the northwest of the city. On the other hand, the Carse of Stirling, stretching to the west and east of the city, is one of the flattest and most agriculturally productive expanses of land in the whole of Scotland.

It’s no surprise then that to this day agriculture still plays a part in the economic life of Stirling, but to a much lesser extent than times past. Today, financial services and tourism are the biggest employers within the city. The financial services and insurance company Prudential have a large and well-established base at Craigforth on the outskirts and, in terms of tourism, the presence of such historical monuments as Stirling Castle, the National Wallace Monument and other nearby attractions like Blair Drummond Safari Park, the key role which Stirling has played in Scottish history, as well as the scenery of the area, has bolstered Stirling’s position as one of the most important tourist destinations in Scotland.

The University of Stirling and Stirling Council are two of the biggest employers in the area. Knowledge related industries, research and development as well as life sciences have clustered around the university in the Stirling University Innovation Park, close to its main campus. Other public sector agencies that are major employers in the city include Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The City of Stirling is home to a large number of commuters but has fewer people commuting to work in other areas, than travel into the city. Transport links are good, with many bus and coach links as well as Stirling Railway station with services to Inverness, Aberdeen and London’s King’s Cross, plus good motorway links to both Glasgow and Edinburgh, or further beyond the Central Belt. Residents are set to benefit further following the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approval of an application by Grand Union Trains to operate four daily return services between London Euston and Stirling from June 2025.